DB

• 6 year old boy with severe headache

• BHX- 6lb 9 oz

– Maternal hypertension, stress, and four

seizures

• Normal Development

• Lives with Grandmother

• Surgery – T&A 2010

• ROS- Rickets, allergies, eczema,

asthma

• Meds- albuteral, Singulair, Flovent,

Nasonex, Ventolin, Vit D, Calcium, K-

Phos-Naproxen, lortab

• FHX- Headaches – several family

members, Vit D resistant rickets and

HBP (maternal), SSD (paternal)

“My head won’t stop hurting”

• Headaches

– Began age 4 ½ but Worse since 2010

• Location ?

– All over and not able to describe

• Severity?

– Severe – cries and leaves school

• Frequency?

• 5-6X/week and Vomits 1-2X/week

DB

• Time?

– Primarily around noon

• Better?

– Dark room, lying down +/- lortab

• Precipitants?

– Unclear

• Tried multiple medications - Exact

ones unclear

Examination

• Lying in a dark room

• Flat affect, tired appearing wanting to be

in his Grandmother’s arms

• Gen PE normal except bowing of legs and

in-toeing

• CN normal- Fundi benign and disc sharp

• Motor, sensory, coordination examination

normal

Next Step?

• Medications?

– Begun on Periactin

• Some minor help

• Too sleepy

– Added Topamax

– Added Zofran

Next Step?

• Contact Endocrine

• Ophthalmology

– Dr Sessums

– Normal optic nerves- “No eye etiology

of headaches”-Plan “Back to you”

• Imaging ?

– MRI/MRA/MRV normal

Next Step?

• April 2013-Spinal tap

– OP=37-38 cm water

– CP= 20.5 cm water

– 16 cc removed

• Begun on Diamox 250 bid

• DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT

Pediatric Pseudotumor Cerebri

From Diagnosis to Treatment

Historical Timeline

• First described by Quincke in 1897

– Called “meningits serosa”

– Otitic hydrocephalus

• Nonne coined pseudotumor cerebri in 1904

• Benign intracranial hypertension in 1955

• Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH)

What are the Criteria?

• Increased intracranial pressure (>25

cm of water

• Nonfocal neurologic exam (except

CN)

• Unremarkable CSF analysis

• No identifiable cause

What Causes it?

• Consensus=result of impaired CSF

absorption

Two schools of thought:

1. Reduced CSF absorption at arachnoid villi

2. Increased CSF flow resistance from raised

venous pressure from outflow obstruction

Presentation

• Daily pulsatile frontal headache

• Worse lying down and or in am

• Worse with cough

• Tinnitus (whooshing sound)

• Increased HA with eye movements

• Blurred vision or transient obscurations

• Neck stiffness, vertigo, nausea & vomiting

Demographics

• Ask a medical student:

– Obese

– Middle age

– Woman

– Symptoms of headache and blurred

vision

Demographics

• Actual statistics vary: annual incidence in

US 0.9 per 100,000

– More common in females (3.5/100,000)

– In obese females (12.19/100,000)

• Female : Male 4:1

• Now seen more in younger patients

Obesity or recognition??

Signs and Symptoms

• Presentation:

First Task: rule out other lesions

Requires exclusion of tumor,

hydrocephalus, SAH, etc

Secondary IIH: Dural Sinus Thrombosis

• Symptoms due to ICP

• Transverse sinus is

most common

• Risk factors: mastoiditis,

coagulopathy, post-

partum

Risk Factors:Medications

• Growth hormone

• Corticosteroids

• Minocycline

• Retinoic acid

• Vitamin A

• Vitamin D

• Oral contraceptives

• Nalidixic acid

• Cyclosporin

• Cytarabine

• Lithium

• Tetracycline

Risk Factors:SystemicIssues

• Obesity

• Post-malnutrition

• Sleep apnea

• Down syndrome

• Adrenal insufficiency

• Thyrotoxicosis

• CHF

• Anemia

• Lead

Signs and Symptoms:When to suspect it

• Headache (am)

• Pain in neck and back

• Tinnitus (“Whooshing”)

• Cranial neuropathy

• Visual symptoms

• Focal sign suggest alternate diagnosis

• Optic Disc edema

Mimickers of Papilledema

• No disk edema or intracranial ICP

– Anomalous nerves

– Drusen bodies

• Disk edema without ICP

– Optic neuritis

– Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy

– Malignant cell infiltrate

Mimickers of Papilledema

Ophthalmologic Signs and Symptoms

• Blurred vision

• Diplopia, not always due to VI palsy

• Transient visual obscurations

• Peripheral field loss is often

asymmetric

• Complete blindness

Visual Field Loss

• Peripheral visual field constriction due to

increased ICP

• Macular vision is spared initially

Evaluation and Treatment

• Laboratory

– CBC, CMP

– Thyroid panel

• IF clinically supported:

– Thrombotic profiles, ESR, ACE, Vitamin

A and D levels, and ANA

Imaging

• All patients require imaging before LP

• HCT and/or MRI

– MRI focus on orbits, MRA/MRV

– Usually Normal—other findings can include:

• Lateral venous stenosis (due to ICP), empty sella, slit

ventricles, flattening of post globe, optic nerve edema

Lumbar Puncture

• Document OP and CP and volume

removed

– 10-15 cc

• Evaluate the CSF

• Culture

– Viral cultures- arbo, EBV, CMV, HSV,

lyme PCR if warranted

IC Pressure Norms

• Adult 25cm of water

• Pediatric patients

– > 8 years use adult guidelines

– < 8yr < 18 cm water

TreatmentMedical Management

• Weight loss

– Studies have shown that except for

discontinuing medications, weight loss

is the MOST important

Acetazolamide

• Acts via carbonic anhydrase inhibitor

– Lowers sodium transport across the choroid

epithelium

• Children starting dose 10-25 mg/kg/day

divided BID

• Adolescents 0.5-1 g/day divided BID

• Target 1-2g divided BID

• Caution if Sulfa allergy

Acetazolamide

• Side effects

– Metallic taste

– Transient anorexia

– Paresthesias

– Kidney stones

– Metabolic acidosis

• Check in 4-6 weeks

– Aplastic anemia reported

Furosemide

• Works by increasing diuresis and reducing

sodium transport

• 1-2 mg/k/day BID or TID

• Adolescent and adults 40-120 mg BID or TID

• Watch electrolytes and K supplement

• May be synergistic with acetazolamide

Topiramate

• Weak carbonic anhydrase inhibitor

• Same side effects as acetazolamide

• Also possible

– Anhydrosis

– Mild word finding problems

– Appetite suppressant

Corticosteroids

• Not routinely used

• Can be used to STABILIZE rapid vision

loss

• IV methylprednisolone at 15 – 20 mg/kg/d

– Then PO predinsone 2 mg/k/d for 2 weeks and

then taper over 2 weeks

Surgical Interventions

• Optic nerve fenestration or CSF

diversion

• Considered if acute or progress

vision loss

• Concern:

– Optic nerve head is at a watershed so

increased risk of ischemia with ONF

– Use steroids and diversion

Optic nerve sheath fenestration

• Decreases pressure on nerve

• Series of slices along the sheath

• How it works?

– Thought to be related to scarring of

arachnoid

– Can work if done unilaterally

• 4 weeks to resolve papilledema

CSF Diversion

• Lumbar and ventricular peritoneal

shunts

• Primarily addresses the pain

• Resolves papilledema in 3 months

• Headache resolves sooner

Outcomes

• Up to 20% will already have some vision

loss at diagnosis

• Permanent in only 10%

• Resolution of papilledema in 3-6mo

• Visual outcome better if pre pubertal

• Recurrence in 10-20%

– Most common if no weight loss

• Common to have migraine

Take Home Points

• Obesity and gender are less important in

children

• R/O Venous thrombosis

• ICP can be increased without papilledema

• ICP can be increased without symptoms

• Transient IIH is common in children

• Peripheral visual loss occurs first